13 March 2010

Emily woke us at 7.30 and once we were ready we went out for breakfast to a branch of Starbucks in the nearby mall. I was pleased that after a poor day of eating on friday she wolfed a 100g bag of prunes before tucking into a banana and our berry pancakes. After my interesting exploration of the station building by night, I thought Emily would enjoy riding the escalators and running round the roof garden and the skyway. She wasn't quite as excited about it as I had hoped, though I myself thought it was a lot more mundane by day. She kept talking about Kyoto Tower, which is just across the street, so as we had time to spare before Nick was to arrive I agreed we would take her there.

The tower was built in the 60s and is said to be modelled on a lighthouse, which is the vague impression that it gives, though Nick says it reminds him more of a candle. Anyway, it seems very out of place in a city of history and culture, but makes a distinctive landmark all the same and provides good all-round views over the city and surrounding hills. The observation deck is a circular protrusion set at 100m above ground. We spent a long time up there looking at the many temples and shrines around the city with the free telescopes.

Emily was very pleased because she could see a large 'white lady' statue (Kannon-sama, Goddess of Mercy).

There is one just like it at Ofuna which we have passed many a time and which she always looks out for. With its completely encircling wooded hills, Kyoto is certainly a pleasant city.

Once Nick arrived we dumped his things in the hotel room and went for a quick bite to eat in a sandwich cafe, wanting to make the most of his brief overnight sojourn and not waste time eating fancy meals. We took a taxi over to Kiyomizudera, the huge shrine complex in the eastern hills area, finding it abuzz with many tourists, despite the lack of cherry blossom.

Emily succumbed to the baby carrier without complaint so must have been tired, and after a while she dropped off, as we strolled around in the warm sunshine.

We walked down the narrow giftshop-lined streets before Emily woke up very upset. Finding ourselves outside a sweet little courtyard garden with a small pond, we popped in and eventually the sight of a pair of ducks there calmed her down.

As it was quite warm we were then tempted to coffee and dessert at an outdoor table in another attractive garden down the street.

At the end of the road we found that we were very close to the Kannon-sama statue, so diverted quickly to show it to Emily. The afternoon was progressing apace, so we jumped into another taxi to get us to our final destination, Nanzenji, as quickly as possible. It was really tranquil there, and as day turned to dusk it emptied out so that by the time we left we had the complex virtually to ourselves. Stepping through the huge wooden entrance gate, we found that maples and cherries are the main trees there, but even though neither type had leaves or blossom it was an attractive place to look around, with vibrant mosses to add a little colour.

In the grounds there is a red brick aquaduct, which was built in the 1880s and does actually still channel water.

Above there we found a small and little-frequented shrine with nice garden. The sky was growing heavy with dusk and impending rain, so we began to make our way back, with much diversion on Emily's part as we did so.

Once more, we bagged a taxi to get us back to the station and were glad we did as it began to spit with rain. Fed up with the mall, we decided to aim high and go up to the restaurants in the top of the station. That was a great idea, as we found a decent tapas bar. Emily just about ate enough from the many small dishes that we ordered. I had trouble explaining that she couldn't have any of my cassis and soda, as it must have looked for all the world like squash to her.

After we got Emily asleep Mum babysat while Nick and I went back to the restaurant floor and found an izakaya, where we drank sake and ate chargrilled veggies and other bar delicacies.

12 March 2010

Mum, Emily and I took a cab to Shinagawa and boarded our shinkansen bound for Kyoto. In the lobby of Hotel Granvia we met up with Mum's old friend Noriko, who lives near the city. As it was lunchtime we set straight off to find something in the station complex. After I suggested unagi (eel), Noriko had to go to some lengths to ascertain where we might find some but eventually we did find an eel restaurant. Mum had a small dish of grilled eel on rice as she hadn't had it before so we weren't sure whether she would like it (she did); Noriko and I had hitsumabushi which is the same but you mix in wasabi and spring onion then pour on some green tea. Sounds odd but very tasty.




From there we rode in a taxi to Nijojo, a 'castle' on the north west side of the city centre. Emerging into warm sunshine we set off to explore the large historical complex. Emily loved it immediately as all the paths were of gravel. We soon came to an impressive old wooden gatehouse leading to Ninomaru palace.



The wooden building is fitted throughout with nightingale floors, which supposedly alert against intruders, and indeed they did give off a pleasant and constant squeaking as the many visitors ambled round. The rooms were decorated with delicate screen paintings featuring stylised tigers and leopards, cranes, bamboo and pines. The corridors were also decorated with some abstract patterns mainly of gold leaf that actually looked quite modern. No photos were allowed so I can't record for posterity.



Outside again, I tried to get Emily to nap in the carrier but she was very perky and said she didn't want to sleep so I decided to try and do without. We walked in the grounds for an hour or more, admiring the plum blossom; pink and white trees had been grafted together and it was odd to see both coloured flowers on the same branch.

Emily was being very cute, collecting lots of sticks.



We returned in a taxi back to the station, where we found a cafe in an underground mall and had coffee and delicious gateaux. Mindful that Emily hadn't slept, we hastily repaired to the nearby hotel and our 8th floor room, which turned out to have a fabulous view right over all the rail tracks. Shinkansen came in every few minutes so Emily was in seventh heaven, and she loved the large room with its thick carpet and wide, low window ledge. Noriko took her leave at six, and as I wanted Emily to eat more food we went straight back out to the same cafe for pizza and toasties. After a quick bath I put her to bed. Her cot had a duvet so I decided to let her try it instead of her usual grobag. Despite lack of nap and it being already 8 o'clock, she was very excited and restless. She kept sitting and standing up and messing about with the quilt. I got fed up waiting and lay down on my comfy bed. By the time she went off at nine I was almost asleep myself. I did not feel like going out but forced myself as Mum was there to watch over Emily.



I went for a wander around the modernistic and cavernous station, which was completed about ten years ago after much angst on the part of many city dwellers (apparently according to feng sui it is badly situated). At first I didn't like it much either, but after dark it developed a lot more character, as the many lines and shapes were lit up or cast shadows.



A series of outdoor escalators allows you to ride up to the roof garden on the 12th floor, though there is also a massive set of 200+ steps you can ascend, as I did. On my way back down I noticed a sign for 'Skyway' and decided to see where it led. I found that there were high-level walkways up in the roof of the 'cathedral'. I did a full circuit of the huge building at height and then thought I would like a little tipple before bed so I went in search of a glass of something.


Though there were plenty of restaurants there is a distinct lack of bars and I did not find any that I would feel comfortable in on my own. After much trudging and getting a bit lost in the bowels of the building, I came across a supermarket where I picked up a mini bottle of red wine and took it back to the stairway. For March, it was a very decent evening temperature so I wanted to be outside. There were a few people scattered up the steps, mainly courting couples. I wasn't sure about the alcohol situation so I kept my bottle out of sight and swigged it as I did a little people-watching. Approaching 10.30 I thought I had better relieve Mum so I made my way back to the Granvia. She was in bed and I was soon in mine too, though after my wine and accompanying snacks I could not sleep for some time and lay listening to the tannoy announcements from the platforms far below.

10 March 2010

As Grandad was somewhat improved (though still in hospital), Mum decided to go ahead with her trip to visit us. After a freezing night, Emily and I went to collect her from Narita. While she cleared customs, Emily and I went to the observation deck to watch a few planes take off and land. On the way down to the Arrivals hall we saw some plane toys for sale so I bought her a couple bedecked with pictures of Pikachu and friends (there really are planes covered in these animation characters). She was so busy playing with them that she barely registered Grandma hoving into view, but once she realised who it was she was gratifyingly excited, I'm pleased to say.


The return train journey also passed more or less without stress and by the time we had walked home from Tamachi the sun was out though it was still chilly. Poor Mum didn't get a moment's rest before she was pressed into service making Playdough images, but when I packed Emily off for her nap I said that she had better have a sleep too as, from experience, she would never make it through until normal bedtime.

After their naps, we just went up to Kamezuka park for a bit of fresh air, but it was perishing up there so we didn't stay very long. After such a cold winter at home I was hoping Mum would get some warmer weather with us, so hope it improves soon. She just about made it through long enough to say 'hello' to Nick at 10pm before calling it a night.

5 March 2010

The weather suddenly improved, with the temperatures topping 20C. I even had my lunch on the balcony. It is not forecast to last, sadly, but lovely to get a taste of the spring that is hopefully just around the corner.

We finally got to see the results of the Nissin noodle photo shoot, as the company launched its new promotion campaign. Both Nick and I made it to the final version. I think I look really daft, but it is fun to see yourself in glorious technicolour on the pages of the national newspapers.

4 March 2010

Emily and I went to Kid-O-Kid in Yokohama with Bettina and Tim. We had great fun there for an hour and Emily went on the bouncy castle a lot. It is surprisingly tiring. They were far from happy to be dragged away for lunch, and I almost wish we hadn't bothered to go to Keke as neither of them ate very well, though they were content enough.

We had decided to take them straight home after the meal; by the time we got back it was 2.30, and Emily had her latest nap ever, finally falling asleep at 3pm.


I was disturbed to get an email from Mum saying that Grandad was not well and in hospital. She had mentioned a day or two before that he had a water infection but he'd taken a turn for the worse. With his prostate cancer you can't help wondering if this signifies a deterioration in his condition that he will not pull back from. Of course, with Mum due to come to Tokyo in a few days she may now have to postpone the trip. It can't be helped but it will be very disappointing if she can't come. I've been telling Emily that Grandma is coming soon so it will be hard to explain if she doesn't materialise. Only time will tell.

28 February 2010

Emily (and therefore, I) woke at 6.30, but Nick was flat out for another hour. The view from our window was very tranquil in the early morning light.

Breakfast was also disappointing: a small grilled fish, rice and a few bits of vegetable stuff. Emily filled up on bread and fruit again.

We checked out then went for a wander around the hotel environs. Emily refused to walk up the track to a viewpoint so I stayed with her as she mucked around on some play equipment while Nick went. He came back to fetch us as he wanted us to go up too. Emily was happy as soon as he put her on his shoulders. It was lovely up on the hilltop with views over the inland sea.

Shikoku was nearly lost in haze. It felt very Mediterranean, with loose white rock, pines and evergreen shrubs. The sun was really strong and Nick got burnt on his forehead. Back down by the hotel, Emily wanted to take us for a ride in an old golf buggy.

We went to the small pier to get the pirate boat back to Tomonoura, and were surprised to see a creature that we are pretty sure was a tanuki (raccoon-dog), drinking rainwater from a puddle and tamely allowing people to pose for pictures with it.

Back across the water we had a look round the main part of the old quarter, then had lunch on the quayside by a huge stone lantern.

Emily was again very popular and many people were filming her and taking photos with her. I think she got fed up with saying 'cheezu' after a bit. One old chap came over and told Nick that he was born the same year as Mickey Mouse (1928), hence his rather lurid jacket.

After our meal it was time to drive to the airport. We wanted to avoid the narrow streets so Nick asked for directions via the expressway. We ended up spending ages in heavy traffic before we got onto the near-empty toll-road. Miraculously we still made it to the airport by the time we'd planned, during which time Emily dutifully had her nap as hoped. We had miscalculated anyway and had an hour and a half to wait after check-in. We went out onto the observation deck and saw two planes arrive, but it is a really quiet airport so that was it (how they can have the cheek to charge for the deck beats me, though we did cough up just so that we could enjoy the fresh air and escape the over-heated terminal). In the departure lounge I saw a good Japlish sign; I can't actually work out what it meant to say.

Emily was really good on the flight; I kept her entertained a long time by showing her playbacks on the camera. As we approached Tokyo, Fuji was silhouetted by the dying light.

27 February 2010

Emily was pleased as Punch with her new Peppa Pig backpack and T-shirt, and soon mastered putting the pack on herself. We didn't have very long to wait at Haneda airport; just enough time for refreshments in the cafe right opposite the take-off spot on the runway. Once aloft, we punched through the thick, low cloud over Tokyo and were soon treated to an awesome view of Fuji, its cone thrusting up through a sea of clouds.



The flight to Hiroshima was only an hour and a quarter, and we were soon landing. Though it is called 'Hiroshima International', it is one of many white elephant airports around the country and only sees a handful of flights a day, nearly all domestic. After a quick lunch in the terminal we were soon on the road, and Emily went to sleep after twenty minutes of chattering incessantly. Despite being near the famous bomb-blasted city, our goal was Tomonoura, a quaint village on the coast of the Inland Sea, the body of water between western Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku islands. This sea is home to over three thousand islands and is very picturesque.

In one town we had to stop at a level crossing as the lights had just started to flash and the warning sound was being given. We were astonished and alarmed to see a woman on a bicycle with two kids in front and back seats ignore the warnings and duck the first descending gate to pedal across. By the time she got to the other side the second barrier had come down and then she got the cycle wheels stuck on the tracks. It was rapidly becoming a scary situation, but luckily for her there was a lot of lead time between the gates coming down and the train passing; someone somewhere must have had manual control of the barrier because the one by her was then raised a little so she could get out. She laughed nervously once clear; I felt like I wanted to slap her for taking such a stupid risk. It was not that surprising though. People here are given very mixed messages about risk-taking, with a paternalistic state that issues countless safety warnings but puts cartoons where there should be a modicum of respect, like police boxes and fire engines; witness this pink rabbit safety barrier, which is not an unusual sight.





We found Tomonoura to be a fiendish place to drive, with little passing space for the heavy two-way traffic and also really busy with pedestrians sharing the narrow roads through the old village. I was glad that it was Nick driving, though he was having flashbacks to the dented door on Christmas Day. After some trouble locating the free car park, with Emily awake and agitated, we finally got there and gratefully piled out. Along the quayside we found lots of fish drying on racks, including some gross baby octopus coated in miso sauce.



The owner of these offered us a nibble of one, which Emily shied away from; Nick tried it but he had too masticate it hard. I'm afraid I declined her kind offer too.


Wooded Sensuijima island, where we were to stay overnight, lay a few hundred metres across the water.



Between was a smaller islet topped by a famous two-tiered pagoda with a torii down by the water.

We wandered around the village briefly and had refreshments in a 300 year old house, where they made fresh caramel in a pan over a gas stove for Nick's macchiato . Around the town, Emily was attracting tons of attention, for the first time in ages. Hardly surprising since I only saw one other foreigner the whole time we were there. With the sun fading and the temperatures dropping fast, we rode the miniature pirate boat over to the island, which only took about three minutes to Emily's disappointment. Our accommodation was a kokuminshukusha: a national hotel. Like all of the hotels around the area it was a very ugly building, but inside it had been refurbished quite nicely, and our room was a decent size and with a balcony and a separate tub looking out over the sea, sandy beach and a small island 300m away.

We dumped our stuff then wandered on the beach.


It was feeling chilly by now as the sun was setting, so we didn't stay out there for long. We had booked a private session in the communal bath on the top floor. It would have been a great time to be there if there was a good sunset but it was too cloudy. Emily had to be coaxed to go under the shower and then into the bath, but I inched her in on my lap and she quite liked it, though it was 40C and she soon turned pink.

The name of the dining room might raise a small snigger unless you know that FU in Japanese is always pronounced 'foo'.




Dinner was not as big or interesting as we had thought we would be getting. Nick thought he had asked for the works (kaiseki) but there must have been a misunderstanding. We got braised head of bream, sashimi, various small dishes of vegetable matter and tempura. I had to fill up on rice. Emily wouldn't try anything and just ate the raisin rolls and fruit I had luckily brought. After the meal we were treated to a surprise session of Taiko drumming: something I had always wanted to see in the flesh and hadn't as yet. It was very entertaining; somehow primitive and very stirring. Emily was transfixed while they played their couple of brief but exhausting routines. Despite the excitement she was asleep at 9 and we sat in the entrance lobby of our room talking a while before retiring at 10.